Free Seven Nights by Jess Michaels Page B

Leah?”
    She turned back, far too quickly for her own good. “Yeah?”
    “I want-” Sean shifted, looking every inch a nervous schoolboy. It was a vision she hadn’t seen for a long time, definitely not since she’d been confronted by the cool businessman who ran this island. “Will you let me take you on a tour of my island this afternoon?”
    The look in his eyes melted Leah’s heart. A tour of the island wasn’t about seduction or power, it was about pride. It was about wanting her approval of the things he had done, the place he’d built in their time apart.
    She wanted nothing more than to share that with him. To learn what kind of man he’d become while he built a mini-empire and fought against those people who hadn’t understood him or his dream. Men like her father.
    “Yes. Pick me up in an hour, ok?”
    The relief was clear on Sean’s face, if only for a brief moment. “I’ll see you then.”

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Six
     
    “So what do you think?”
    Leah drew in a long breath as she stared at the bubbling waterfall that cascaded down a sharp rock face to splash into a pool by a white sand beach.
    “Oh, Sean,” she breathed, searching her writer’s mind for the right words to describe what she was seeing. When she could think of nothing that would do the scene justice, she merely smiled. “It’s perfect.”
    “I’m glad you like it,” His grin was broad with pride. “This is one of my favorite locations on the island. We don’t talk about it much except to our favorite guests, so it’s rarely visited. I like the idea that it’s my little secret.”
    She smiled at the excitement in his eyes. “Well, it’s a lovely secret. And I’m so glad you shared it with me.”
    He didn’t answer, but instead offered her a hand to help her down the steep path that led to the waterside. He produced a blanket from his backpack and spread it out on the sand. Leah took a seat and watched as he put his things in order and sat down beside her.
    “You know, you’ve really done wonders with this place,” she said softly as she watched the light play off the gray in his eyes.
    Sean looked off toward the pool and his voice grew distant. “I dreamt of running a place like this for years. All through graduate school. And after you…”
    He trailed off and the look on his face shifted so subtly that if Leah hadn’t been paying such close attention she wouldn’t have noticed the change. Though he maintained his smile, Sean’s eyes lost some of their glow.
    “After you left, my drive to make this dream a reality only grew. I knew Will during my days at Penn State and thankfully he wanted in on my dream. And here we are, just a few years later.”
    She swallowed. “It’s amazing. You’ve done so much in such a short time.”
    “Well, we’ve had some great backers.” He plucked at a clump of seaweed that had twisted around the edge of their blanket. “Without their financial support, without the work of the staff, without Will acting as our front man, none of this would have worked out. It’s a cumulative effort, everyone has to do their part or it all falls to pieces.”
    Leah nodded, though she couldn’t help but think back to the way things had been so many years before. Now Sean depended so much on strangers and friends. Yet, he’d never been able to depend on her.
    It made her… jealous .
    She cleared her throat and shook away the ridiculous emotion. “So when do I get to meet this Will Todd? I’m sure I’ll want to use quotes from him in my article.”
    “Will is supposed to be back from the yacht tour late tonight. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to answer any question you have for him.” He leaned closer and Leah got a faint whiff of his smooth aftershave and soap. “And so am I.”
    “I do have one question.”
    Leah shivered as she considered all the questions she could ask Sean. Like why they’d separated, why hadn’t he tried to kiss her today, or if